Human Rat

"Fuck, another lunatic." Qiao Jiajin spat on the ground. "I get the feeling we'll go crazy too if we stay here long enough."

The old man had left Qi Xia rattled and irritated.

"Qi Xia, are you all right?" Lin Qin asked beside him.

"I'm fine." Qi Xia steadied himself. "These people can't stop me. I'm going to take part in a 'game.' You don't have to follow."

"I'm coming with you," Lin Qin said. "Whatever 'game' you enter, I'll go with you."

At those words, Qi Xia slowly stopped walking. He turned back and looked coldly at Lin Qin.

His gaze was so icy that it gave Lin Qin quite a fright.

"Wh-what's wrong?"

"Lin Qin, what's your motive?"

"My motive?" Lin Qin asked in confusion. "Do I need a motive?"

Qi Xia stared into Lin Qin's eyes again and said, "Why are you trying to get close to me? No matter how I look at it, you should be with the other group, shouldn't you? The three of us aren't your kind of people. We shouldn't be companions, either."

At Qi Xia's question, Lin Qin merely smiled faintly. "I told you, I'm very interested in you. I want to know what you're thinking."

"I want to get out," Qi Xia said without hesitation. "I've said it plenty of times. I want to get out and see my wife. She can't be without me. Do you understand?"

Lin Qin blinked and replied, "I understand."

"My wife's name is Yu Nian'an. She's endured hardship for me and suffered on my behalf. She's everything I live for, so I have to go back to her. That's all I'm thinking about. Is that clear enough?"

"Perfectly clear."

"Now that you know what I'm thinking, aren't you going to leave?" Qi Xia said coldly.

Lin Qin lowered her head slightly. After a long moment of thought, she replied, "I'm sorry. For certain reasons, I still can't leave."

Qi Xia frowned at Lin Qin. Although he sensed neither danger nor deception from her, he still couldn't see through her intentions.

"Suit yourself..." Unable to get through to her, Qi Xia could only turn around and keep walking.

Qiao Jiajin followed Qi Xia and said, "Liar Boy, we had a deal. You've got the brains, I've got the muscle. We work together."

"Do you have a reason you have to get out, too?"

"Yes." Qiao Jiajin nodded. "I don't want to die, but I don't want to sit around waiting for death, either."

"I'm fine with working together, but let me make this clear first." Qi Xia glanced at Qiao Jiajin and continued, "You and I have no ties. If only one person can get out in the end, I'll abandon you without hesitation."

"Fuck... Have you got no loyalty at all?" Qiao Jiajin shook his head helplessly. "You really aren't likable."

Listening to their conversation, Tiantian quietly lowered her head.

Everyone seemed to have a clear goal.

But compared to them, what am I even doing?

Suppose she really did overcome every obstacle and get out of this hellhole.

Suppose she really returned to the real world and resumed her old life. She would go back to those bleak days, passionately embracing those filthy old men.

Thinking of it that way... perhaps "dying here" wouldn't be such a bad end.

"Tiantian, what's wrong?" Lin Qin asked.

"Nothing."

Leaving the square, they reached the street on the other side.

Unlike the street where the Convenience Store stood, this one seemed to consist entirely of small homes. Low houses stood in a staggered arrangement, and they had no idea whether anyone lived here.

After only a few steps, the four of them spotted another set of Animal Masks.

Its wearer was standing at the entrance to an old room, hands clasped behind their back.

Qi Xia walked straight over.

Only when he got closer did he see that the person wore an enormous rat mask that gave off an unpleasant smell. But the wearer was small and thin, nowhere near as brawny as the people in Animal Masks they had encountered before.

Qiao Jiajin asked, "'Ratman,' right?"

The rat-headed person finally noticed the four people in front of her. She smiled and said, "I'm not 'Ratman.' I'm 'Human Rat.'"

Her voice was pleasant. She was a girl.

This was apparently the first time they had encountered a woman beneath an animal mask.

"You little shit, now you're getting above yourself..." Qiao Jiajin said irritably. "Like I care what you are?"

"Human Rat is Human Rat. Getting it wrong could mean trouble." The girl chuckled. "I rarely get visitors here. Would you like to take part in a 'trial'?"

Qi Xia looked at the house behind Human Rat, then asked her, "What are the rules?"

"A rat 'trial.' Admission costs one 'Dao.'" Like an exceptionally patient sales assistant, Human Rat gently explained it to them. "You'll have a hard time finding a 'trial' this easy in any other district."

"So what's the game behind you?" Qi Xia asked again.

Human Rat turned around, pushed the door open, and walked inside. It was a small warehouse.

"My game is called 'Warehouse Path Search.' There's one 'Dao' in this room right now. Only one person may enter. Find the 'Dao' within five minutes, and you win. That 'Dao' will be yours, too."

Qi Xia felt something was off, so he asked, "What if we can't find it?"

"Can't find it?" Human Rat burst into a giggle. "If you can't find it... your admission fee is forfeited. You just lose one 'Dao.'"

"Lose one 'Dao'?" Qi Xia paused in surprise. "That's it?"

"What else would happen?" Human Rat looked at Qi Xia in confusion.

What was going on?

Qi Xia frowned and thought it over carefully. Admission cost one "Dao." Winning earned them one "Dao," while losing cost them one "Dao."

This game felt wrong. It sounded as though they would neither gain any additional "Dao" nor lose their lives.

Then what was the point of taking part in these games?

"Isn't this a good opportunity?" Tiantian said. "We can take this chance to try one and get a better understanding of our situation."

"But..." Qi Xia was still puzzled. Even if they won this game, what would it prove?

"I can give it a try first." Tiantian turned back to Qi Xia. "It's fine even if I die."

"What kind of thing is that to say?" Lin Qin felt something was wrong with Tiantian's state of mind.

"Really," Tiantian said calmly. "I just figured it out. Whether I get out or not, it makes no difference."

With that, she asked Qi Xia for a "Dao," then turned and handed it to Human Rat.

"Is that all I need to do?" Tiantian asked.

"Yes, your 'admission fee' has been received. The game will begin once you enter the room." Human Rat nodded enthusiastically. "Let me repeat the rules. There is one 'Dao' in this room right now. If you find it and bring it out within five minutes, it's yours."

"All right, I understand." Tiantian nodded again.

"Are you ready?" Human Rat asked.

"I'm ready." Tiantian nodded.

"Very good," Human Rat said. "The game begins. Good luck."

With that, she closed the door.